Closure for collapsible tubes



April 19, 1932.

F. B. COONEY CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Dec. 13, 1928 37mm/nto@E101/ d20/Ley,

i Patented pr. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK B. COONEY, FSANDUSKY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN CRAYON COM- PAN'Y, 0F SANDUSKY,OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Applicationmea December 1a, 192s. serial ne. 325,s57.

The present invention relates to improvei ments 1n closures forcollapsible tubes, and

has for an object to provide an' improved complemental cap and neckconstruction for collapsible tubes, such as the tubes in whlch toothpaste is sold, whereby the tubes at the cap end will be made both gasand l1q u1d tight, reliably avoiding leakage, vwhich 1s a 'common faultwith present open mouth tubes.

Another object of the present invention 1s to secure the above resultswithout departing greatly from the standard construction and withoutentailing the use of special machines .or apparatus for the making ofthe new device, but to so modify and rearrange the neck and capconstruction as to provide a plurality of seals to prevent the entranceof air or the escape of gas, liquid, plastic or viscous material fromthe interior of the tube.

Although the invention is particularly applicable to the closureconstructions of collapsible tubes, it is understood that the inventionis not'limited to the same but' may be applied generally to closureswhenever' used.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully deszribed hereinafter, and will be'more particularly pointedy outin the claims appended hereto. l

- In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views,

' Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sec- 1 tion taken through acollapsible tube with the closure in place and illustrating one form ofthe present invention, and

Figure 2 is a similar viewwith the closure cap removed.- l s y Referringmore particularly to the drawings 5 designates a collapsible tube, suchas may be pinched to expel the contents when the cap, representedgenerally at 6,-is removed.

In accordance with the usual construction the tubes are vprovided with.externally threadjed necks andy the caps with' cylindrical, in-

ing the tubes. As leakage "has been of lfre- `quent occurrence. intheuse of lsuch tubes,it-

`is proposed to modify the standard construction in the followingrespects.

The neck of the container 5 is made of .an inner thickened portion 7having the external threads 8, and the outer reduced portion 9 formingwith the thickened lower portion 7 an annular shoulder 10. At the outerend of the reduced portion 9 of the neck is an inturned flange 11 havinga fiat external seat 12 and a beveled internal seat 13 surrounding theentrance openingof the tube or'container 5.

The cap 6 is formed generally of the top --portion 14 and thecylindrical flange. The

internal threads 15 of the flange are shown .as produced in an outerreduced portion-16.

The reduction of the portion takes place internally and provides withthe thickened inner wall 17 a shoulder 18 against which is placed anannular gasket 19. The outer edge or -rim 20 of the cylmdrical cap angeagainst which the gasket 19 seats is preferably plain and unthreaded andunder-cut with respect to the threads 15, so that the innermost portionof the threadvwill serve to maintainl the gasket l 19 in place, it beingunderstood that the gasket 19 isA of rubber or some other elastic andcompressible materia1,.which may besprung invbehind thethreads 15,whereupon it will expand by its own inherent resiliency out against thewall portion 20 and serve to thereafter retain itself in place. y

A projection 21 is providedv on the cap, such projection extendingaxially of 'the-cylindrical flange portion and having its support uponthe top part 14. The projection 21 is ypreferably rounded and hasbeveled walls or surfaces designed to come into contact with the-beveledand ground surface 13 of the neck. .The projection 21 is so constructedas to leave an annular space about the projection wherein a secondkelastic and compressible gasket 22 may be .seated against the topportion 14 and the cylindricai flange. l

In other words this gasket 22 is lodged in the corner portion betweenthe wall 17 and the top part 14 of the cap, The cap may have v,a knurlededge ifdesired for facility in rotat- `ing'fit on and ofi' the threadsof theneck.

In' the use of the device., vin Figure l, the cap'fis shown as inplace." It will-be seen that the gasket 19 is disposed between theshoulder 18 of the cap and the shoulder 10 of the container neck. Thegasket is squeezed between these shoulders int e act of rotating the cap6 g home upon the nec threads 8. It will be apparent that the threads 15of the cap have easy access to the threads 8 of the neck on account ofthe cutaway portions at the outer portion of the neck and at the outerportion of the cap.

From an inspection of the drawings, it will be noted that the reducedportion 9 provides a continuously smooth surface between the end seat 12and the shoulder 10 which marks the place where the raised screw threads8 commence. By this arrangement, when the cap is removed and whenmaterial is being discharged from the tube, the shoulder 10 will preventany excess material, which passes from the seat 12 onto the reducedportion 9, from reaching the screw threads 8. By this arrangement,therefore, the material is prevented from accumulating in the screwthreads so as to effect easy application and removal of the cap.Furthermore, owing to the fact that 'the surface of the'reduced portion9 is smooth, the material which reaches it inds no anchorage for firmadherence and can be readily wiped off.

' The projection. 21 is shown in Figure as lying within the entranceopening and against the beveled seat 13; and the gasket 22 is shown asengaging the external flat seat 12 of the flange 11, being squeezedagainst said flange and between the adjacent portions of the cap.

It will thus be apparent that a seal is provided by the engagement ofthe projection 21 upon the beveled seat 13; a second seal is had by theengagement of the gasket 22 with the seat 12, and a third seal by thepresence of the gasket 19 against the shoulder 10. The possibilities ofleakage are in this way greatly 'reduced over the' heretofore used formof tube, and to' this extent the lnew* form of closure will effect agreat saving to the manufacturers whose products are put out in thisform.

Manufacturers are assured that the contents .of suchpackages will reachthe consumer without being soiled by leakage.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodimentof my invention, but it is obvious that changes may be made thereinwithin the spirit and 4scope thereof as defined in the appendedclaims 1.A container including a, neck having an end with a flat seat surroundinga beveled delivery orifice, an exterior seat intermediate the lengthofthe neck, a removable closure for the container having two seatsIltherein cooperating respectively with said end flat seat andintermediate seat and disposed opposite thereto, thereb providing twopairs L of opposing seats, an a compressible gasket disposed betweeneach pair of opposing seats,

whereby to provide a double seal and thusl end with a fiat seatsurrounding a delivery orifice, an exterior seat intermediate the lengthof the neck, a removable closure cap for the container having aprojecting portion extending inwardly into the delivery orifice, withthe exterior of the projecting portion seated against the wall definingthe delivery orifice, and two seats in the cap each having acompressible gasket therein, one being disposed about the end seat ofthe neck and the other disposed opposite the intermediate seat of theneck, whereby a tight fit is formed between said cap and the deliveryorifice so that gases or liquids are prevented from' escaping from saidcontainer.

3. A Acontainer having a delivery nozzle provided with an externalshoulder separating a threaded region and a plainregion, a closure capfor the nozzle having an internal shoulder separating `a threaded regionand a plain region, the threaded region of the closure capscrew-threading with the threaded region of the nozzle and the plainregion of the closure cap contacting intimately with the plain region ofthe nozzle, and a compressible sealing washer interposed between theshoulders of the closure cap and nozzle.

4. A container having a delivery nozzle provided with an end seatsurrounding a delivery orifice, an external shoulder on the nozzleseparating a threaded region and a plain region, a closure cap for thenozzle having a central portion entering the interior of the nozzle andintimately contacting the wall defining the delivery orifice, acylindrical flange on the closure cap having an 'interna-l shoulderseparating a threaded region and a plain region, a compressible sealingwasher between the closure cap and end seat of the nozzle, acompressiblesealing washer disposed between the shoulders of the nozzleand cylindrical flange, and the threaded region of the cylindricalflange screw-threading with the threaded region of the nozzle so as .tobe` effective in compressing the two Vsealing washers in theirrespective positions and thus prevent the escape of gas or liquid fromthe nozzle by reason of the delivery orifice.' e,

5.`In a container having an outlet opening with an internal flange seatand an external flat surface seat about the opening, said containeralsolhaving a shoulder stepped -down from the entrance opening and lyingin a plane parallel to the plane of the flat surface seat, a closure capremovably engaged with said containerand having a rounded projectionextending substantially centrally l der stepped down from said gasketandl adapted to comeopposite the external shoulder of the container in aplane between the plane of the latter and the plane of the iat surfaceseat, and a compressible gasket mounted between said shoulders.V

T 6. In a collapsible container having a neck with an inner enlargedexternally threaded portion and an 4outer reduced unthreaded portion,said neck having an external shoulder between the enlarged and reducedportions, said neck also having an internal flange providing a flatexternal seat step ed above the shoulderand offset inwardly therefrom,said flange having an internal beveled seat, a removable cap having atop and a cylindrical portion provided with a lower reduced portlonhaving internal threads to cooperate with the threads of the neck and anupper enlarged portion forming an internal shoulder with the reducedlower portion, a gasketcalfried by the cap againstfsaid shoulder andadapted to seat on the external shoulder of the neck, a projectionextending' internally from the top of the cap into the cylindricalportionand adapted to seat against the beveled internal seat of theflange, and a gasket provided with a seat surrounding a deliveryorifice, an external shoulder on the nozzle separating a threaded regionvand a plain region, a closurecap for 'the nozzle having a centralportion entering the interior of the nozzle and intimately contactingthe wall defining the delivery orifice, a cylindrical iange on theclosure cap having an internal shoulder separating a threaded region anda plaln region, a compressible sealing washer disposedY between theshoulder of the nozzle andacylindrical Range, and the threaded region ofthe cylindrical flange screw-threading with the threaded region ofthenozzle so as to be effective in compressing the sealing washer in itsrespective position and thus prevent the escape of gasv or liquid fromthe nozzle by reason of the delivery orifice.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as y invention, and have signedmy name hereto.

' FRANK B. COONEY.

surrounding said projection and adapted tothe end orifice, raised screwthreads surp rounding said neck and having a shoulder intermediate thelength of said neck, the

commencement of said screw threads being spaced a relatively widedistance from the end seat to prevent the `excess material dissl chargedover the end seat from reaching the 'v screw threads, and the exteriorsurface of the neck about the end seat being continuously smooth so asto prevent gathering thereby of the excess material Adischarged over theend seat, and a removable cap provided with internal screw threads tocooperate with the raised screw threads of the neck and having grooveswith concentric v gaskets therein, which rest against the end seat andshoulder respectively, the side wall of each of said grooves beingshaped to intimately overlie the end seat and shoulder, to eiect a sealwith the ca when applied to the neck. g

8. di container having va delivery nozzle

